Engine eor employing steam ob any other aeriform or gaseous body under



No. 29,149. PATDNTED JULY 17, 1860.

J. W. DURHAM. ENGINE PON DMPLOYINGSTEAM 0R ANY OTHER ADRIPDRM 0R GASECUSBODY UNDER PRESSURE To OBTAIN MDTIYE PDWBD..

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J. XV. DURHAM, OF DUIHIAMVILLE, TENNESSEE.

ENGINE FOR EMPLOYING STEAM OR ANY OTHER AERIFORLI OR GASEOUS BODY UNDERPRESSURE TO OBTAIN MOTIVE POWER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,149, dated July 1'?, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. 1V. DURHAM, of Durhamville, in the county ofLauderdale and' State of Tennessee, have invented a new and ImprovedEngine for Employing Steam or any other Aeriform or Gaseous Body UnderPressure to Obtain Motive Power; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing` is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisspecification, in which-- Figures l, and 2, are vertical sections atright angles to each other of my improved engine adapted for the use ofsteam as the motive agent.

Similar letters of reference indicate cor responding parts in bothfigures.

My invention consists in an upright endless chain of buckets arrangedwithin a suitable box which is filled with water to a suitable level andto which steam or other gaseous or aeriform body at a pressure greaterthan the atmosphere is introduced by a pipe or pipes in such a manner asto enter the bucket-s below the surface of the water and to displace thewater therefrom and to give motion to the chain of buckets by itstendency to rise to the surface of the water.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the box made of wood or metal and having suitable bearings in orattached to its sides for two horizontal shafts B, C, arranged one abovethe other, the lower one B, not projecting through the sides of the boxbut the upper one C, projecting through one or both sides to carry adriving gear or pulley by which to transmit the power. To each shaftthere are attached two chain wheels D, D, having notches at uniform andsuitable distances apart to receive the ends of the transverse rods a,a, which connect the links b, b, of the two endless chains to which thebuckets E, E, are attached. The buckets are of open box form and soarranged as to present their open sides upward on one side of the chainsand downward on the other side as shown in Fig. 1.

F, is a pipe entering the box near the top` to supply it with water.

Gr, is a pipe for the water toflow o from the box when it reaches acertain level above the upper shaft.

H, is afpipe which supplies the steam or other motive agent from theboiler or generator, entering the box near the bottom of that sidetoward which the buckets present themselves with their mouths downward.

I, is a pipe which is only used when steam or other co-ndensable vaporis used as the motive agent, entering the box near the bottom on theopposite side to H, for the purpose of keeping the water hot while theengine is at rest to enable the engine to be easily started. Anotherpipe may be used when steam is the motive agent to convey hot water fromthe box A, to the boiler.

J, is an opening in the top of the box for the escape of the steam orother motive agent from the box A, after it has performed its duty.

K, is a stationary block which may be either solid or hollow arrangedbetween the sides of the box within the chains to fill up a portion ofthe useless space within the box and reduce the necessary quantity ofwater.

The operation of the engine is as follows: The steam or other motiveagent, suppose steam for example, entering the box by the pipe H, atfirst condenses, but as soon as the water is heated to the boilingpoint, condensation ceases, and the steam begins to rise toward thesurface of the water and in so doing displaces the water from the bucketwhich is presented with its mouth open in a downward direction over thesaid pipe H,

and fills or partly fills the said bucket and by its continuing to riselifts the bucket and sets the whole chain of buckets in motion in thedirection of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, and every bucket as it is inits turn presented over the mouth of the said pipe is filled in asimilar manner and caused to rise and in this way the endless chain ofbuckets is kept continuously in motion and caused to give rotary motionto the chain wheels E, E, and shaft C, D; and the shaft C, transmits thepower developed bythe action of the steam to any machinery With Which itmay be connected. The steam, as fast as the mouths of the buckets arriveabove the surface of the Water, escapes from them into the upper part ofthe box A, and from thence by the opening J, to the atmosphere.

This engine possesses many advantages over the ordinary steam engineamong which may be mentioned its eXtreme simplicity of construction, itsfreedom from friction, the absence of its liability to get out of orderand the 10W pressure Which is suflicient to Work it.

I do not conine myself to the precise details of construction hereindescribed, as

such may be varied or modified Without de- J. W. DURHAM.

Witnesses:

W. W. VAUGHAN, JAS. L. GAUSE.

